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A retrospective serologic survey was conducted for antibodies against MAC in a random sample of 623 free-rang- ing wild mammals killed on roads and by hunters, or found dead in east-central Portugal. Animals were tested for antibodies to Mycobacterium avium complex with a commercial enzyme linked assay. The seroprevalence of Mycobacterium avium complex infection was 4.7% (n=29; CI 95%: 25.4 - 32.7%). Antibodies against MAC were detected in 4 out of 11 animal species included in this study, consisted of 1/42 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (2.4%; CI 95%: 0.0-4.0%), 1/6 Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) (16.7%), 1/3 European badger (Meles meles) (33.3%), and 26/109 wild boar (Sus scro- fa) (23.9%; CI 95%: 17.8-34.2%). Infection was found in three taxonomic families: 2.4% (CI 95%: 0.0-4.0%) in Canidae, 16.7% (CI 95%: 0.0-37.8%) in Mustelidae, and 23.9% (CI 95%: 17.8-34.2%) in Suidae. No positive sera were found in the common genet, Egyptian mongoose, beech marten, hedgehog, wild rabbit, red deer or fallow deer. Results of the present study indicate that antibodies against MAC were present in wild carnivores and wild boars in Iberian Peninsula. According to the test sensitivity and speci city claimed by the manufacturer, the true prevalence Mycobacterium avium complex infection among wild mammals in the Iberian Peninsula was calculated to be between 10.7% and 13.6%.
Selecção de primers para análise molecular, através de RAPDs e ISSRs, de animais das famílias Cervidae e Suidae.
Mycobacteria from the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) cause a variety of diseases including tuberculosis-like disease in humans and birds, disseminated infections in AIDS patients and otherwise immunocompromised patients, lymphadenitis in humans and mammals and paratuberculosis in ruminants. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) is the etiologic agent of Johne´s disease in cattle and it has been identified in human patients with Crohn’s disease. The MAC comprises slow growing mycobacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment (soil and water), and have a wide source range, causing disease in various domestic and wild mammals and birds [1]. The aim of this study was to discuss the classification and biology, epidemiology, clinical signs, pathology, diagnostic techniques, and public health concerns in Mycobacterium avium complex in domestic and wild animals.
The aim of this study was to describe histopathological aspects observed in mesenteric lymph nodes collected from 60 hunter-killed deer (Cervus elaphus) during the 2009-2010 hunting seasons. Each sample was fixed in 10% buffered formalin and processed by the standard methods.
We report granulomatous lymphadenitis in red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Portugal caused by coinfection with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, as demonstrated by molecular methods.
In humans, Nocardia species have the potential to cause localised or disseminated infection (Cooper and others 2014). This genus has previously been detected in wild ungulates (Vemireddi and others 2007, Domenis and others 2009) but not in wild boar (Sus scrofa). Although hundreds of ungulates are hunted in the Iberian Peninsula annually, no case of nocardiosis from wild boar has been reported.
A total of 49 road-killed red foxes were used for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) in Portugal. MTC infection was detected by PCR in 10 red foxes (20.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.8-31.2%) and confirmed in three (6.1%; 95% CI 0.0-7.9%) of them by microbiological culture. The complex was detected in 20 tissues out of 441 by PCR techniques (4.5%; 95% CI 16.3-23.7%) and in seven tissues out of 441 (1.6%; 95% CI 4.6-9.4%) by culture. MTC was most frequently detected in the brain (8.2%) and in the mediastinal lymph nodes (8.2%). The seven cultures obtained were positive for M. bovis by PCR-based genotyping of the MTC targeting genomic deletions. This study confirms the presence of disseminated M. bovis in red foxes in Portugal, and it is the first report in the world of the natural infection in the animals' brains.
A survey to determine the occurrence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in wild carnivores in Portugal was conducted by testing samples from road-killed animals between 2009 and 2012. Postmortem examinations were performed and tissues were collected from wild carnivores representing four families and six different species, with a total of 74 animals analyzed. Cultures were performed by using Löwenstein-Jensen and Middlebrook 7H11 solid media and acid-fast isolates were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and mycobactin dependency characteristics. Tissues were also screened for MAP by directly extracting DNA and testing for the MAP-specific sequences. The occurrence of infected animals (an animal had at least one tissue that was positive for culture or direct PCR) was 27.0% (n = 20). MAP was isolated from culture of 25 tissue samples (3.8%) and was detected by direct PCR in 40 (6.0%) samples. Infection was recorded in 5/6 studied species: 7/49 (14.3%) red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 3/3 (100%) beech martens (Martes foina), 2/4 (50.0%) Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), 7/15 (46.7%) Egyptian mongooses (Herpestes ichneumon), and 1/1 (100%) European badger (Meles meles). These species represent three different taxonomic families: Canidae (14.3% were positive), Mustelidae (75.0% were positive), and Herpestidae (46.7% were positive). The results of this study confirm the presence of MAP infection in wild carnivores in Portugal.
The prevalence of caseous-calcareous nodules in mesenteric lymph nodes of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and deer (Cervus elaphus) was studied from October 2009 to January 2010 in 228 animals (126 wild boars and 102 deer) hunted in Castelo Branco region.
Disseminated Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infections were found in two Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra, L. 1758) killed by vehicular trauma in February and March 2010 in Castelo Branco, Portugal. At postmortem examination, the organs showed no significant gross alterations; however, microscopically, both animals had diffuse lymphadenitis with macrophage infiltration and deposition of hyaline material in the center of the lymphoid follicles. Acid-fast organisms were isolated from gastrointestinal tissue samples via bacteriologic culture. These organisms were identified as M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis by IS900 polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Additionally, direct IS900 PCR-positive results were obtained for multiple organs of both animals. This is the first report of MAP infection of otters in Portugal.
Several studies have demonstrated that wildlife reservoirs of mycobacteria are responsible for the maintenance and spreading of the infection to livestock and wildlife counterparts. Recent data report the role of wild boar (Sus scrofa) as a reservoir for Mycobacterium bovis. This study was conducted to evaluate the chronic inflammatory response in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of wild boar with granulomatous lymphadenitis (n=30). Morphological parameters of the lesions were recorded. The expression of CD3 and CD79α molecules was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Molecular genotyping and culture to identify mycobacteria were performed. The lesions consisted mainly of stage III and stage IV granulomas. CD3 and CD79α positive cells were observed in 15 (50%) and in 11 (36.6%) MLN, respectively. In these lesions, higher percentages of T lymphocytes were found and a limited number of animals exhibited a tendency for an increased percentage of B lymphocytes. Our results suggest that there are similar percentages and distribution patterns of CD3 and CD79α in the lesions, regardless of the presence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), M. bovis or Map-M. bovis co-infection, and confirm that wild boar is both susceptible and could be an important Map and M. bovis wild reservoir in the study area.
Paratuberculosis or Johne's disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), is a chronic granulomatous enteritis affecting both domestic and wild ruminants. The present work is part of a wider set of studies designed to assess the prevalence of paratuberculosis in free ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus). With that purpose, 877 free-ranging red deer legally hunted in the Centre-eastern Portugal were submitted to necropsy and sampled for molecular methods, microbiology and histopathology. Thirty-seven (4.2%) kidneys revealed acid-fast bacilli when screened with the Ziehl-Neelsen technique. Map was detected by IS900 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in thirty (81.1%) of the Ziehl-Neelsen positive kidneys. Subsequent PCR and/or culture from the different organs of the 37 examined animals allowed us to detect 86.4% (32 animals) infected red deer. Our results suggest that renal involvement in Map infected deer may be underdiagnosed and thus the routine examination of this organ and its inclusion in PCR techniques designed for Map detection could substantially improve the diagnostic of paratuberculosis in red deer.
The Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) causes infections and diseases in humans, birds, livestock, and wildlife, among others. In dogs, MAC infection is not frequent; however, due to its potential zoonotic characteristics, mainly in immunocompromised patients, the study of MAC epidemiology is necessary. The aim of this work was to perform a study to detect the presence of antibodies against MAC in serum samples of 53 hunting dogs in the Idanha-a-Nova municipality of East-Central Portugal. A total of 23 dogs were seropositive by commercial ELISA test (43.4%, 95% CI: 30.1%–56.7%). Factors such as age, breed, and sex were not significant. The results of the current study indicate that further investigations about the diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance of the MAC in dogs must be carried out to highlight its significance in animal and public health.
Talaromyces marneffei is a thermally dimorphic fungus that is endemic in some parts of Asia causing a fatal systemic mycosis in immunocompromised patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of T. marneffei in the fur of wild mammals in Portugal.
Mycobacterial species are raising serious concerns in livestock and wild animals worldwide. In wildlife, mycobacterial infection has been reported in hundreds of species and likely has the potential to occur in every vertebrate. Since this infection is of a chronic nature the best strategy to control the infection is through early identification of infected animals, and better diagnostic measures are required for effective control programs. With the development of new molecular methods for detecting and characterizing microorganisms, the ecology of mycobacteria has rapidly advanced in all areas. In human medicine, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are accepted diagnostic standards, replacing or complementing culture isolation and acid-fast staining. The mycobacterial species that produce tuberculosis in humans and animals are included in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). Mycobacteria from the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) cause a variety of diseases including tuberculosis-like disease in humans and birds, disseminated infections in immunocompromised patients, lymphadenitis in humans and mammals and paratuberculosis in ruminants. This manuscript is a review of the scientific literature on the classification and biology, epidemiology, clinical signs, pathology, diagnostic techniques, and public health concerns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium complexes in wild mammals.
O diagnóstico histoquímico de micobacterioses, através da visualização de bacilos álcool-ácido resistentes (BAAR), em esfregaços corados mediante a técnica de Ziehl-Neelsen, a partir de amostras de tecidos, é considerada como uma boa técnica de diagnóstico presuntivo. Neste estudo pretendeu-se avaliar a frequência de visualização de BAAR em rim e gânglios linfáticos mesentéricos com lesões granulomatosas em veados (Cervus elaphus) e javalis (Sus scrofa). Os esfregaços de cada órgão foram efectuados sobre uma lâmina de vidro e as preparações foram coradas de acordo com o método de Ziehl-Neelsen. Dos 91 esfregaços de gânglios mesentéricos analisados, 46 (50,5%) mostraram BAAR compatíveis, sendo classificados como positivos. Vinte e dois esfregaços de rim dos 25 analisados (88%) apresentaram BAAR. Dos 25 animais, em que foram observados simultaneamente esfregaços de gânglios mesentéricos e rim, 15 (60%) apresentaram resultados coincidentes. Em javalis, a frequência de esfregaços, classificados como positivos, foi de 76,2% (32/42) e em veados de 48,6% (36/74). Neste estudo, o rim revelou-se o órgão com maior frequência de visualização de BAAR, e o javali como a espécie animal que apresentou maior percentagem de resultados positivos.
The Genetics and Biotechnology Conference (JGB) of the University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) is an annual scientific event organized jointly by the Nucleus of Students of Genetics and Biotechnology (ADNGB) of UTAD and the Direction of the Course of Genetics and Biotechnology in collaboration with the teaching staff of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology (DGB). As a result of the scientificpedagogical partnership established between professors of DGB (UTAD) and of Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences of the University of León (UL), Spain, it was considered important to repeat the shared organization of this event between professors and students of the UTAD and UL designating it as XII Genetics and Biotechnology Conference / II Genetics and Biotechnology Iberian Conference (XII JGB / II JIGB). The main objective of the XII JGB /II JIGB is to update knowledge in the area of Genetics and Biotechnology. To this end, the focus of this event is the conferences given by renowned national and international scientists and the thematic workshops that will constitute more practical sessions. The XII JGB /II JIGB will also focus on interaction, exchange of experiences and scientific debates between Portuguese and Spanish students and professors. The best oral and posters presentations will be awarded. The target audience is Portuguese and Spanish students, researchers and university professors from the scientific areas of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology as well as High School teachers from the Biology area. A wide variety of topics will be discussed, in the different areas of Genetics and Biotechnology, such as Plant, Animal, Human, Microbial, Evolutionary, Cancer, Forensic, Ethics, Entrepreneurship, among others.
O objetivo deste trabalho foi efetuar a identificação dos diferentes géneros fúngicos provenientes do pelo de 58 ungulados de diferentes regiões de Portugal. Os animais em estudo foram 32 javalis, 24 veados e 2 corços.